Churchill’s hoop season ends with a loss

Just about 14 hours after a first-round loss to Wilsonville Thursday night, fourth-ranked Churchill finished its season with a 47-39 loss to unranked Crater in a consolation game at the OSAA Class 5A boys basketball tournament Friday morning at McArthur Court.

“Looking back overall it was a good season, but it was kind of disappointing at Mac Court,” said point guard Jordan Myers, one of eight seniors on the roster. “We thought we could compete with these guys but we struggled and didn’t really come to play.”

Churchill finished the season 20-7 after winning the league title for the first time since 2001.

“We had a great season,” said first-year Churchill coach Kelly Bokn said. “It is easy to be disappointed and focus on the last two games, but we can’t let the way we played here negate the fact we did have a great season. Winning the league is a great accomplishment. I think it is a case for these kids where it is a process to learn how to compete at the state tournament and these seniors started to pave the way and hopefully the younger kids can learn from that and we’ll continue to get better from that.”

Myers was one of only three players on the roster who played for the Lancers during their last trip to state in 2007.

“I felt like we were taken out of our game,” Myers said. “We didn’t play like we did in previous league games. I think we felt rushed and it showed. We’re a better team than we showed today and yesterday, but things happen.”

Churchill took a 19-14 lead when Tyler Huddleston scored with 3:10 left in the first half, but then Crater went on an 8-0 run and never trailed again.

Joe Gunderson got the Lancers within 30-28 on a putback basket with 2:30 left in the third quarter, but the Comets answered with a 12-3 run to take a 42-31 lead early in the fourth quarter. Churchill closed within 45-39 with 48 seconds left before the Comets hit three free throws down the stretch.

“I thought Crater wanted it a little more than we did, they competed harder, and advanced,” Bokn said.

Josh Dalton scored 16 points to pace Crater (18-8), which faces Hillsboro in the fourth-place game this morning.

Shayne Travers had seven points to lead Churchill while Myers added six points and five steals. Huddleston also had six points for Churchill, which was 9-for-38 from the field.

Dominique Mims had 13 points while Charles Mosley and Jordan Griffith had 12 points apiece for Hillsboro, which took a 38-29 lead at halftime. Hillsboro outrebounded Crescent Valley 48-31.

Logan Cooper had 20 points for Crescent Valley while Avery Robinson, the son of Oregon State coach Craig Robinson, added 14 points and five steals.

Steve Mims covers Oregon football, men's basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. He has been a sportswriter at the paper since 1999 and covered high school sports while also reporting on Oregon football in the Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl as well as men's basketball during their Elite 8 run in 2007 and trip to the Sweet 16 in 2013.